First Impressions

[foreigndevil 0]

I installed OFF P3 yesterday. After some tweaking I finally got good graphics (it took a while, the first results were horrible). Now I get not just good but actually great graphics. I'm amazed that I can max all sliders (!), at least in a simple scenario or quick combat; quite amazing, because I don't have the latest pc type. Wonderful!

I borrowed Guynemers Bebe (damaged a wing when landing in some farmers field) and took some shots at the two 'Boches' I met, hit one but he didn't seem to bother much! :-) The aircraft skins are quite beautiful and so is the terrain! OFF looks very promising to me!

[Olham 164]

Good to hear, foreigndevil. There are graphics tips for the settings in the website

 

www.overflandersfields.com

 

When you haven't seen them yet, take a look there also.

And please send me a PM with your hometown and country - I will add you to our

OFF Pilots Maps then. Thanks!

Edited December 3, 2009 by Olham

[Von Paulus 8]

Welcome foreigndevil!

[foreigndevil 0]

Welcome foreigndevil!

 

Thanks for welcoming me, although I'm not green here; just have been OFF the record for a while and reporting for duty again now.

I did browse the forum and settings tips, but it didn't seem to work at first. Had to take the same steps a few times before it worked.

[foreigndevil 0]

Glad you're getting Sorted, but to eliminate any Possible Problems, down the road. Back down to 4 on the Terrian Slider.

 

 

 

Answers to most Newbie questions are featured in

 

OFF Tips & Cheats STICKY in the Knowledge Base

 

Plus there's a storehouse of useful information here http://www.overfland...lds.com/FAQ.htm

 

 

 

OK, I'll try the Terrain on 4. What problems may be expected on 5? Burning videocard? Cheers!

Edited December 3, 2009 by foreigndevil

[HumanDrone 4]

Well, I'll add my first impressions, as I just took off and died last night!

 

The movies are simply fantastic, and the sound tracks perfect. No doubt I'll skip past them in the future, but what an intro! Ran across a sound track of a veteran describing his role as wing man as well, and another movie in the credits - really nice stuff.

 

S I figured my way around, and signed up with the American 94th on the north coast of France. Fired up my Sopwith Camel in QC Free flight just to see how it goes. And right off, I see where TrackIR is darn near a requirement, unless you put up the HUD Gauges, you can't see the ones in the cockpit very well. So I flew around a bit, low altitude, saw a train, took a couple of shots at it, screwed up, crashed and died! So I had to re-enlist, took it up again, flew around a bit, and successfully landed.

 

Now I'll really have to learn how to fly these things. I didn't mess with the mixture, I had a full load of fuel, and it seemed like I was struggling to climb past 2000 ft. So I have some studying to do.

 

Overall, though, I'm tickled pink. This is so well done. The only drawback for an occasional user like myself is dying permanently - I may have to put it in cheater mode for a while, just to keep from having 20 or 30 dead "me's" in the game. With CFS3, my brother-in-law generally flies with me, we just take turns flying QC until we kill or be killed, but that isn't what OFF is about and we'll have some adjustments to make.

 

So many kudos to the OFF team, you've really done something here!

[Bullethead 12]

NEVER make your pilot Invincable in Workshop

 

Yeah, what he said.

 

What you do instead is to make 2 test pilots, 1 German and 1 Entente of your choice. Name them something that brands them as test pilots (mine are Testdweeb Kraut and Testdweeb Crumpet) and use them ONLY for QC flight testing. NEVER use a real pilot in QC.

 

Note, however, that when you start a QC mission, there's a checkbox to make your pilot undying for that QC session. I use that so I don't have to keep making new Testdweebs. But even if I forget and they buy it, I at least don't lose a real pilot.

 

BTW, welcome aboard

[HumanDrone 4]

Thanks for the tips, gentlemen. I don't know how I missed that "alive for this mission" checkbox. Ah, it'll take time.

 

Just curious, can I expunge the record of the dead "me" or am I stuck with it? (I can edit at the hex level if need be!)

[RAF_Louvert 101]

.

 

Welcome back to the OFF virtual skies, foreigndevil. And also welcome to you HumanDrone, if I haven't already greeted you properly, (or even if I have). I hope you both enjoy the excitement and adventure that is BHaH for many years to come.

 

BTW, new and returning flyers buy the drinks.

 

 

Cheers!

 

Lou

 

.

[Cameljockey 3]

Just bring up your deceased pilot and click "Retire this pilot" and he will be relegated to the archives of history.

[+Winder 32]

Thanks for the tips, gentlemen. I don't know how I missed that "alive for this mission" checkbox. Ah, it'll take time.

 

Just curious, can I expunge the record of the dead "me" or am I stuck with it? (I can edit at the hex level if need be!)

 

Use the retire function button in Pilot Dossiers window.

 

HTH

 

WM

[Bullethead 12]

Just curious, can I expunge the record of the dead "me" or am I stuck with it? (I can edit at the hex level if need be!)

 

Sure. In the pilot dossiers screen, there's a button to retire the pilot (which erases him).

 

NOTE: The pilot files are in {XXX}/CFSWW1 Over Flanders Fields/campaigns/Campaign Data/Pilots, where {XXX} is either C:\OBDSoftware (if you have Vista) or I THINK C:\Program Files (if you have XP). Each pilot has 2 or 3 files associated with him: PilotXDossier.txt, PilotXLog.txt, and (if he's filed any claims) PilotXClaims.txt (where X is a number). You can do all sorts of things with these files, but there are some caveats....

 

First off, only use the game to create and remove pilots. If you don't, you'll screw up the game and have to reset it, which erases all your pilots. IOW, don't create pilot files from scratch and just put them in this folder, nor delete files out of this folder. Also, don't save a copy of a pilot, reinstall the game, and then move the files back into this folder.

 

HOWEVER, you CAN edit the files within this folder. The game has no apparent problem with that. You can resurrect dead pilots, you can rename all your wingmen, add more, kill those you don't like, etc. You can change your squadron, you can change the campaign date, you can change your hours, and just about anything else. Search on these topics and you'll find all the details.

[foreigndevil 0]

Some more impressions. The OFF airfields are very well done! When I landed at one yesterday, an ambulance drove past, a British cavalry patrol was on the road next to the field, etc. Makes them really come alive! Not to mention the constant sound of cannon and Archie. It's also nice to just fly around and discover the landscape and airfields, army bases and so on. And admire the aircraft skins! Maybe a small detail but something I appreciate, too: you can see the hands and feet of the pilot, which adds to the illusion that a pilot is flying the craft (instead of the usual simulated flying in an empty plane controled by some mysterious, invisible person).

[HumanDrone 4]

Hmm, I didn't notice the hands & feet. But then, iI forgot the two patches, I'm downloading them now... and jonesing for TrackIR for Christmas!!!

[carrick58 23]

Ahhh Foreign Devil wecome to the meat grinder and for your 1st few flights we will play OFF s favorite

Tune for you. Taps.

[foreigndevil 0]

Are all you guys on medication and drinks? Or is it just OFF that makes you feel dizzy and drunk? Anyway, thanks for the warm welcome. The (virtual) drinks are on me.

Edited December 5, 2009 by foreigndevil

[Kingkat 1]

I'll have you know that I........ "medicate all my drinks"............ ....saves time.

 

 

Welcome to the BEST flight sim group around.

 

Learning to fly is the most fun you can have. It really gets to you.

[Bullethead 12]

Are all you guys on medication and drinks?

 

I'd say drunk. Before you got here, we had threads where everybody posted their favorite beer, then wine, and finally hard liquor. Feel free to search for them and bump them by adding your own favorites. It's time we went back to talking serously about booze--been too long

[almccoyjr 7]

Are all you guys on medication and drinks?

Welcome.

 

Not a serious drinker and I stopped the "meds" back in '72 after college.

 

"Thinking is the best way to travel," and my current Spad "bursts forth with the power of ten billion butterfly sneezes".

 

plug_nickel (Al)

[Olham 164]

Foreigndevil, war pilots are on both, all the time. 'Uppers' for the sorties,

'downers' for sleeping, and drinks just for fun.

Just saved Udet's day in a flight with Jasta 15 - a SPAD VII was in his neck,

and they both went down diving faster than an Albatros should.

So I shot the Frenchman off his tail. He did the same for me two days ago.

Must go to the mess now - Ernst will buy the drinks today!

[almccoyjr 7]

I'd say drunk.

Don't drink and slide. That white "stuff" wasn't D.T. induced.

 

plug_nickel (Al)